Condescending Sony Scorns Nintendo Wii's Success

zod

Sony, the builder of the world's most powerful gaming console, the Playstation 3, apparently is as of late taking on a condescending tone towards the apparently more successful Nintendo Wii.

http://www.playfuls.com/news_06063_Condescending_Sony_Scorns_Nintendo_Wiis_Success.html

"but we believe the PS3 will be the console to attract hardcore, committed gamers, while Wii will do little beyond satisfying new and casual players."

Well ! Does the Wii satisfy?

AceCard Jones

In another article they said that the Wii is just an impulse buy.
But what else can be expected?Sony and Micro$oft have to justify their own existence by taking the piss out of the Wii for it's early success.
I'm surprised it took Sony this long to come out and say it, Micro$oft said their part over a month ago now.

After finishing Zelda and now am just waiting for more good games, I kind of feel like Sony is right, and maybe I should have waited a bit longer for more good titles.But nah, I like my Wii and I would have got it at some stage anyway so why not launch?:)

Jim

Well....haven't Nintendo said all along that the Wii is more for casual gamers?

Retr0gamer

Jealousy. It's not Nintendos fault that the PS3 has stopped selling yet the Wii is selling out every batch still.

TheAlmightyArse

"Nintendo came at things sideways — they made stuff that’s silly and fun," said Jeff Gerstmann, senior editor of GameSpot

Silly and fun games? That's just some sort of gimmick! I'll stick with po-faced and boring, thank you very much.

Rhyme

So SONY declaring their console something that you have to weigh up and think long and hard about before purchasing?

Niiiice...

seanos

Well at ~600, of course your going to weigh things up & think hard before purchasing

Cake Fiend

Sony claiming Nintendo aim for casual gamers?

Has my hedonistic youth finally caught up with me, or have we actually entered reverso-land? The irony is so strong it's in danger of ripping a hole in the very fabric of space-time.

Retr0gamer

I think Sony should remember the 2 things that made the PS1 so successful:

1. A significantly cheaper price point.

2. Appealing to the casual gamer with adverts and game selection.

Star Lord

€640 in Ireland thankyouverymuch :rolleyes:

And Retro and Cake_Fiend, I couldn't agree with both of you any more! They are have done such a sharp about face that I think they broke the sound barrier...

1huge1

Retr0gamer wrote:

I think Sony should remember the 2 things that made the PS1 so successful:

1. A significantly cheaper price point.

2. Appealing to the casual gamer with adverts and game selection.

you couldn't be more right

wonder why nintendo hasn't thrown any slags at microsoft and song??

Cake Fiend

1huge1 wrote:

wonder why nintendo hasn't thrown any slags at microsoft and song??

Class. Unfortunately, something Sony knows nothing about...

Star Lord

1huge1 wrote:

wonder why nintendo hasn't thrown any slags at microsoft and song??

Their success does that well enough. Ps3s sittin on the shelves while the wii continues to sell out in the states kinda says enough.

unreggd

Its the same with the DS. Since Ive started workin where I work Ive gotten about 5 faulty DSs back.

I get the same amount of broken PSPs every week.


If I was Sony I'd just shut the funk up. They're just embarassed that they've lost their too-long-lonely place at the top to a company who's console is about as powerful as a phone compared to the PS3

Theres also loads of rumours goin around that people actually believe. Some guy said the PS3 will kill the Wii as it can play Xbox and PC games too.

Nintendo only once said they've sold more than Sony, but it was in no way condescending

Vive la Wiisistance!

Rhyme

unreggd wrote:

Theres also loads of rumours goin around that people actually believe. Some guy said the PS3 will kill the Wii as it can play Xbox and PC games too.

Well with the version of Linux it's running as it's OS (Yellow Dog i think), a lot of things are possible.

jimmycrackcorm

but we believe the PS3 will be the console to attract hardcore, committed gamers, while Wii will do little beyond satisfying new and casual players

It's a bit like Mercedes claiming that real drivers will choose Mercedes over a Ford. The only problem is that not everyone can afford a Mercedes nor necessarily want one...

aob

"but we believe the PS3 will be the console to attract hardcore, committed gamers, while Wii will do little beyond satisfying new and casual players."

Isn't that exactly what the PS1 was all about, and the reason it so well? lol

Maybe Sony's new strategy is to use reverse psychology on us or something.

I can see the ads now..."You don't want to buy a PS3! ooooh! ahhhh!"

Darnell13

aob wrote:

"but we believe the PS3 will be the console to attract hardcore, committed gamers, while Wii will do little beyond satisfying new and casual players."

Just as well the casual gamers have something to play, then.

They ain't gonna be shelling out for the ol PS3, i reckon.

iregk

Sony are just pi$$ed that they almost bankrupted themselves producing a machine thats not selling very well and were completely outplayed by some genuine original thinking that cost next to no additional costs!

Suck it up Sony and besides that. Everyone knows that the real gamers go Nintendo anyway and the image concious go playstation.

Zombrex

1huge1 wrote:

wonder why nintendo hasn't thrown any slags at microsoft and song??

They are too busy counting their money

TheBigEvil

Have to agree with Sony. The Wii has a novelty factor about it, but its games have to be graphically downgraded comapaired to their equivelants on the 360 and PS3. It wont play dvds and doesn't support High Def or Blue Ray.

So once everyone gets tired swinging their arms about, they'll see the limitations of the Wii. Afteall, its main game library will be Mario spin off after mario spin off, Zelda and Metroid Prime.

The Wii is just a stop gap, once the PS3 arrives, and its price point drops (which it will have to, at least by christmas), people will be buying it. And when Halo 3 arrives on the 360, the Wii will be a distant memory.

dirtyharry1971

I agree I'd say the wii is good and all but find Nintendo tend to make more "fun for the family" type games don't get me wrong I like Nintendo and think the wii gimmick thing is very clever just reckon if I got one I'd play it for a few weeks and then it would just gather dust. So reckon I will use a mates instead of buying one.

Sony and Microsoft tend to have less morals and publish more violent adult games admittedly not everyone's cup of tea and not exactly a marketing strategy they would use but for example personally I enjoy the GTA series and am pretty sure they never released any of this series on any Nintendo platform. Plus looking at the graphics on wii I can see straight away its not as powerful as the Xbox 360 or PS3. They are focusing on game play and the wii thing to make it look appealing.

Biro

Yes, but gameplay is what true gaming is about. And criticising the Wii for not playing DVD's? Why? It's a gaming console and shouldn't need to offer other things to justify it's purchase. Anyway, it'll play DVD's later on in the year, for those who think that it's a problem that it doesn't.
I'm wondering if the people who think the sony is the king are the same people who'll convince everyone that the i-phone is fantastic and the i-mediastreamingthingy is also a great purchase. And if sony are so concecending of Nintendo, why did they try and fail to copy their controller idea? The answer is that Sony are just copycats who put their financial clout forward to make existing things a bit better and rip off the public for them. I've no respect for that sort of thinking. I've no respect for sony anymore either, and I used have plenty.
Buy an X-box 360 and a Wii for the price of a PS3 and I reckon you'll have a far better gaming experience for the money. The Wii doesn't compete head on, it is out on its own, because it is gaming on a new dimension.

unreggd

Biro wrote:

Yes, but gameplay is what true gaming is about. And criticising the Wii for not playing DVD's? Why? It's a gaming console and shouldn't need to offer other things to justify it's purchase. Anyway, it'll play DVD's later on in the year, for those who think that it's a problem that it doesn't.
I'm wondering if the people who think the sony is the king are the same people who'll convince everyone that the i-phone is fantastic and the i-mediastreamingthingy is also a great purchase. And if sony are so concecending of Nintendo, why did they try and fail to copy their controller idea? The answer is that Sony are just copycats who put their financial clout forward to make existing things a bit better and rip off the public for them. I've no respect for that sort of thinking. I've no respect for sony anymore either, and I used have plenty.
Buy an X-box 360 and a Wii for the price of a PS3 and I reckon you'll have a far better gaming experience for the money. The Wii doesn't compete head on, it is out on its own, because it is gaming on a new dimension.

touché


The PS3 may be amazing but its nothin new, its basically a pimped PS2
Who cares about High definition, how many people actually own a HD Tv? The Wii IS supposed to be a family console, and in most families there are people from all ages, so yes, theres loads for the kids, but theres still loads of games for older gamers [Far Cry, Red Steel, COD 3, SC: Double Agent], it has only been out a few months so its too early to judge

The PS3 controller doesnt even have vibration [unintentionally]! Makes me think it was designed upside down in a cave. Oh wow, "tilt", that'll be great

Sony need to just realise they've lost this battle, and concentrate on winning the war, although thats optimistic considering the backlash their condescension will have.

I dont think it will be a hit til the PSthree is out [smaller & cheaper]

Zombrex

TheBigEvil wrote:

Have to agree with Sony. The Wii has a novelty factor about it, but its games have to be graphically downgraded comapaired to their equivelants on the 360 and PS3. It wont play dvds and doesn't support High Def or Blue Ray.

So once everyone gets tired swinging their arms about, they'll see the limitations of the Wii. Afteall, its main game library will be Mario spin off after mario spin off, Zelda and Metroid Prime.

The Wii is just a stop gap, once the PS3 arrives, and its price point drops (which it will have to, at least by christmas), people will be buying it. And when Halo 3 arrives on the 360, the Wii will be a distant memory.

You are really missing the point.

The entire point of the Wii is that the interface is making new ways of playing video games. Saying that once Halo 3 arrives everyone will forget about the Wii assumes that the Wii is competting against games like Halo 3, or that the target audience for the Wii give a sh!t about Halo 3. It isn't, and a lot don't. Those that do will buy an Xbox 360 anyway.

The Wii isn't competting against anyone because no one is doing what the Wii does.

Nintendo have said all along that they expect gamers to buy a Wii along side a PS3 or an Xbox 360. That is why the machine uses cheap hardware to keep the cost of the system low.

Hardcore gamers were always going to buy an Xbox 360 or a PS3. But they also buy a Wii because of the "Nintendo factor"

Those than know very little about gaming buy a Wii because it is far more accessible to them than something like a PS3 or Xbox 360.

This is actually what is pissing Sony off.

Sony don't give two flying cat sh!ts about hardcore gamers who will buy the PS3 regardless. This is similar to the way that the Republicans and Democrats don't spend time campaigning to voters who are life long Republicans or Democrats.

What Sony and Microsoft have been trying to do for years is position themselves to take on the vast vast untapped market of non-gamers. This is summed up by the analogy of the bedroom and the sitting room. Both Sony and Microsoft want their machines in sitting rooms, not bedrooms.

They have are trying to do this by expanding the multimedia capaibilities of their machines.

Nintendo have taken a different approach. They have forsaken the mulitmedia capabilities of the Wii knowing that people tend to buy individual video and audo systems anyway and knowing that the take up of HD is going to be a lot slower than that of DVD.

Instead they are doing it the "Gameboy" way that they almost invented. Use cheap hardware. Don't give extra features no one is bothered about (Sony take not, UMD??) Use games that don't look like traditional games (Tetris anyone?). Introduce something new, introduce novelty. Sit back and watch as millions take up your machines.

And it worked.

Nintendo are attracting mums and dads, attracting curious non-gamers, positioning the machine as a family system, which gets the machine out of the bedroom and into the sitting room. It is the "Solitare factor". Get your mum/wife playing the game and she won't mind the system being in the centre of the house.

Nintendo has opened up an entire market that Sony and Microsoft had been trying to unsuccessfully crack for the last 5 years.

And put simply, this is really really pissing Sony off.

It is a valid point to ask "Well where does this leave Nintendo and the hardcore gamer?" ... but Nintendo's response to that would be if you want to play Halo 3 buy an Xbox 360

ambro25

Wicknight wrote:

You are really missing the point.
(etc.)

Three rounds of applause for you Sir Wick, from a "new and casual player".

unreggd

exactly!

Sure nearly all hardcore gamers I know who already have a 360, got a Wii and love it

You can hide a crap game behind amazing graphics, but you cant hide an enjoyable game behind average graphics

Sony are just jealous. They thought everyone would go mad for the PS3 but then all of a sudden, almost out of nowhere Nintendo pwned them

I admit that people may grow tired of having to use the Wiimote, which is why I think it'd be good to bring Gamecube games back into production, that way the Wii would appeal to button-bashers too.

Then theres the whole sturdiness of Sony's products

Every week in work I get abt 5 PSPs, 3 PStwos and abt 5 sets of Buzzers that are all faulty

where as I'd get about 2 DSs a month, and 1 faulty Wii
[got abt 5 back but people just coudltn Synch the 'motes]

Sony keep sayin the PS3 doesnt appeal to Hardcore gamers, but by sayin that, it comes across as if they're sayin the PS3 is for Hardcore gamers only, there limiting sales

quad_red

Wicknight wrote:

You are really missing the point.

The entire point of the Wii is that the interface is making new ways of playing video games. Saying that once Halo 3 arrives everyone will forget about the Wii assumes that the Wii is competting against games like Halo 3, or that the target audience for the Wii give a sh!t about Halo 3. It isn't, and a lot don't. Those that do will buy an Xbox 360 anyway.

The Wii isn't competting against anyone because no one is doing what the Wii does.

Nintendo have said all along that they expect gamers to buy a Wii along side a PS3 or an Xbox 360. That is why the machine uses cheap hardware to keep the cost of the system low.

Hardcore gamers were always going to buy an Xbox 360 or a PS3. But they also buy a Wii because of the "Nintendo factor"

Those than know very little about gaming buy a Wii because it is far more accessible to them than something like a PS3 or Xbox 360.

This is actually what is pissing Sony off.

Sony don't give two flying cat sh!ts about hardcore gamers who will buy the PS3 regardless. This is similar to the way that the Republicans and Democrats don't spend time campaigning to voters who are life long Republicans or Democrats.

What Sony and Microsoft have been trying to do for years is position themselves to take on the vast vast untapped market of non-gamers. This is summed up by the analogy of the bedroom and the sitting room. Both Sony and Microsoft want their machines in sitting rooms, not bedrooms.

They have are trying to do this by expanding the multimedia capaibilities of their machines.

Nintendo have taken a different approach. They have forsaken the mulitmedia capabilities of the Wii knowing that people tend to buy individual video and audo systems anyway and knowing that the take up of HD is going to be a lot slower than that of DVD.

Instead they are doing it the "Gameboy" way that they almost invented. Use cheap hardware. Don't give extra features no one is bothered about (Sony take not, UMD??) Use games that don't look like traditional games (Tetris anyone?). Introduce something new, introduce novelty. Sit back and watch as millions take up your machines.

And it worked.

Nintendo are attracting mums and dads, attracting curious non-gamers, positioning the machine as a family system, which gets the machine out of the bedroom and into the sitting room. It is the "Solitare factor". Get your mum/wife playing the game and she won't mind the system being in the centre of the house.

Nintendo has opened up an entire market that Sony and Microsoft had been trying to unsuccessfully crack for the last 5 years.

And put simply, this is really really pissing Sony off.

It is a valid point to ask "Well where does this leave Nintendo and the hardcore gamer?" ... but Nintendo's response to that would be if you want to play Halo 3 buy an Xbox 360

Great post. Puts the situation pretty succinctly really. I think this whole 'multimedia hub thing' is incredibly over rated.

I really think that the time spent in the wake of Sony benefited both Nintendo and MS. Both seem to be catching up with a philosophy of 'simplicity'.

But MS's efforts are still aimed at 'hardcore gamers'. Live is a revelation to use but it's still an impediment to the 'casual gamer'. And the games (GOW, HALO 3 etc etc) are all dark, violent 'nerd' candy.

Nintendo have given the people what they want. Something simple, friendly, easy and open. Where it'll go from here, I don't know.

But Nintendo will make alot of bloody money from the Wii and no doubt their eyes are upon the next gen already.

QuadLeo

iregk wrote:

Everyone knows that the real gamers go Nintendo anyway and the image concious go playstation.

Exactly! People who like great gameplay tend to go Nintendo. The way I see it nintendo is for real gamers while Playstation is for the boy racer, gadget loving readers of stuff magazine.

quad_red

QuadLeo wrote:

Exactly! People who like great gameplay tend to go Nintendo. The way I see it nintendo is for real gamers while Playstation is for the boy racer, gadget loving readers of stuff magazine.

Errr, that's a bit simplistic isn't it?

The PS2 has a raft of superb games that aren't available anywhere else. Yeah, they've plenty of rubbish EA style franchises but there's plenty of inventive, interesting and great playing games on both the PS2 and X-box.

The relative lack of success of the N64 and the GC wasn't merely cos the 'gadget loving boy racers' didn't bite.

unreggd

quad_red wrote:

Errr, that's a bit simplistic isn't it?

The PS2 has a raft of superb games that aren't available anywhere else. Yeah, they've plenty of rubbish EA style franchises but there's plenty of inventive, interesting and great playing games on both the PS2 and X-box.

The relative lack of success of the N64 and the GC wasn't merely cos the 'gadget loving boy racers' didn't bite.

I agree

Those comments kinda make you seem condescending towards Sony, droppin to their level

As with any console, theres plenty of sh!te, but theres also plenty of Gems on the PS2

QuadLeo

I supose it is condescending. I'm a hypocrit. I have a ps2, and I don't deny that there are some great games on the ps2 and ps1. But I think the standard of games on Nintendo systems are a lot better. From friends I've spoken to lately it seems that real gamers interested in gameplay, challenges and replay value prefer Nintendo over sony but still really like the ps2. I know it's stereotyping but I have an image in my head that people who have eyes only for sony are young lads that are gadget heads, know nothing about real gaming and only have a ps2 so they can play the newest GTA and kick the sh!t out of some prostitute for a laugh.

Banjo

I'm with Quad Red on this one. Nintendo made a lot of mistakes with the 64 and the Cube and I've yet to be convinced that they've learned from them (if they start distributing demos via the Wii Shop then maybe there's hope). Sony on the other hand don't make many mistakes. They've built the PS3 to last. In 5 years it'll be a hell of a lot cheaper and will still be an important bit of kit because of it's BluRay player and IPTV capabilities (people still buy PS2s because they make great cheap DVD players). The Wii on the otherhand is going to be looking very old in 2 years time - hell it's looking old already! Although, Nintendo may actively seek to replace the Wii in a couple of years with a backwards compatible upgraded console with a similar controller - it would make sense that they might make short-lived consoles that are cheap to make but also cheap to replace so they can use more current technology and leapfrog Sony and MS with a Wii 1.5....

It's funny how often people talk about the Wii and it's superior gameplay. It's limitations run deeper than the graphics card - it's under-resourced in all areas compared to the Sony and MS offerings, and it's not going to take very long for gameplay styles to evolve on that superior hardware that the Nintendo processor just can't possibly do. It's going to be limited to the kind of concepts that have already be worked out on the cube with some motion controls thrown in to mix things up. We'll never get the big complex physics playgrounds that the Wiimote deserves because the hardware can't do it. We'll never have massive AI crowds where every individual has their own realistic behavioural patterns because the processor just doesn't have the grunt. We will have plenty of mushrooms that advance from right to left and die if you jump on their heads though, and that's good enough for me

Biro

I see your point Banjo, but on the other hand anyone who buys a PS2 as a "cheap" DVD player is a plonker really. They're still not available for €100 are they? And about 3 years ago I bought a Philips DVD player for about €95 that can play Div-X, X-vid and plenty other type formats, and it's a progressve scan player, all of which make the PS2 look silly. It's only a gaming machine and shoud be bought with gaming in mind.
I also think that the future for home entertainment could well be hybrid players that can do both blue ray and HD-dvd, meaning that the PS3 will be mostly overlooked on that front too.
I don't think that clever games need all that much clout to be "serious" games. For example hard core unix guru's maintain that Linux is a much better operating system and runs on far lower spec hardware than windows, which shows that power isn't everything if the software makes clever use of things.
We'll see. I still think that if one had a HD-DVD capable X-box 360 and a Wii, then the PS3 would be pointless, unless a price drop comes into play. That wont happen for 3 years I reckon.

Star Lord

I agree with the posters above that said about the pointless nature of having a PS2 as a DVD player, and I think getting the PS3 as a "cheap" BlueRay player is equally silly. Especially now that there have been some titles released side-by-side on both HD-DVD and BlueRay, and the HD-DVD versions outperformed the BlueRay copies on both image and sound quality.

I basically buy a games console to play games. If I want a media centre I use my PC. It can do all that media centre guff that the PS3 or 360 can do, and generally do it better. There are no titles on the PS3 that would entice me to get one, and there are only one or two on the 360 that are tempting me at the minute, with some more looming in the future. The only PS3 game I that I've seen that I'd be remotely interested in so far is MGS4, and that's a long way off, with the possibility of being multi-platform...

Banjo

On the contrary, the more "serious" games tend to have a lot more going on under the hood than the simple pick-up-and-play "fun" ones. I don't think the Linux comparison is fair - complicated AI *does* take processing power. Physics modeling takes processing power. Complex dynamic lighting takes processing and video power. These are the kinds of things we're starting to take for granted in games - they're not selling points any more, they're basics; they're not just fun extras, they're integral to the game experience. You can still have games that are taken seriously that don't have all the bells and whistles, but these are developing areas where as the existing gameplay mechanics that are currently in use on the Wii are for the most part mature and unlikely to change significantly. As such, we're going to be missing out over the next few years.

With regard to the Linux example you gave, Linux tends to be leaner and more efficient than the MS OSes. When you apply the same kind of thinking to games consoles, given the HW similarities between the Wii and the Cube, all of the optimisation has been done in the last 5 years. There are not many new tricks left to learn or lines of code to pare down. On the other hand developers have years to learn to get the most out of the new 360 and Ps3 architechture. If anything, the gap between the Wii and the others is going to get wider faster as time goes by.

Speaking of Linux, given that there are Linux ports of Gamecube emulators, existing drivers for the Wiimote and not a hell of a lot of difference between the GCN and the Wii hardwarewise, it's not going to be long before there's a Wii emulator for the PS3.... (don't forget it has motion-detection in it's controller too)

As for media centers, some people don't want a PC. Or can't afford one after buying a PC. Similarly, when buying a DVD player they might think "you know, for 30 quid more I could watch DVDs AND play Bully in the spare bedroom." No really, it does happen. I never said they were *clever* people

projectmayhem

AceCard Jones wrote:

But what else can be expected?Sony and Micro$oft have to justify their own existence by taking the piss out of the Wii for it's early success.
I'm surprised it took Sony this long to come out and say it, Micro$oft said their part over a month ago now.

are you being condescending towards sony and microsoft in an argument about how microsoft and sony have been condescending to nintendo?

AceCard Jones wrote:

After finishing Zelda and now am just waiting for more good games, I kind of feel like Sony is right, and maybe I should have waited a bit longer for more good titles.But nah, I like my Wii and I would have got it at some stage anyway so why not launch?:)

i got a Wii at launch too, and have enjoyed the first party titles a lot. there's another 10 or so due in the next 12 months which i'm sure will be fantastic also. but holy hell does the third party right now stink, and looking into the future, it's set to continue to stink. no doubt nintendo has the strongest first party out of everyone, but it's the third party that shifts more units. it'll take quite a lot to get Wii out of gamecube territory, and i can't see it being dragged out anytime soon.

Wicknight wrote:

They are too busy counting their money

from the DS, not the Wii.

DamoElDiablo wrote:

I agree with the posters above that said about the pointless nature of having a PS2 as a DVD player, and I think getting the PS3 as a "cheap" BlueRay player is equally silly. Especially now that there have been some titles released side-by-side on both HD-DVD and BlueRay, and the HD-DVD versions outperformed the BlueRay copies on both image and sound quality.

until i got my 360, my PS2 was my primary DVD player, and when the PS3 hits that will replace my 360 as the primary movie-viewing device. it's all well and good to enjoy your PC for dvd's, but i like a good tub of ben&jerry's as i do irreparable damage to my spine as i slouch on my sofa in front of the HDTV.

also, right now blu-ray is out-selling HD-DVD by a decent factor (the PS3 effect), and having had a blu-ray disc play next to a hd-dvd disc, i can say from experience that if there's a difference, i didn't see it.

tbh, i welcome any added extra's they throw into a console, as long as they don't loose sight of its primary function - to play games. both microsoft and sony have done well so far, and they can only expand this idea. the PSP is a perfect example. it does an amazing array of things, and new things are added all the time, but it has never lost sight of the fact that its core purpose is to play games...

the idea is to say "well you can play awesome games" all the while saying "but you get more bang for your buck here, because...". it's the same thinking behind sticking an ice maker in a fridge/freezer. it doesn't have to be there, but it makes sense.

Star Lord

Some very good, and very valid points there, but I disagree on the "can't afford one", you could quite easily pick up a pretty decent PC for the same money that you'd have to spend on a PS3, and for the money required to buy a PS3 and a HDTV you'd be able to buy a PC that would basically out-perform the PS3 in pretty much every regard (And actually not be that much bigger! ) and probably still have money left to buy a Wii

But as I said, and I really can only be specific when applying these scenarios to my own preferences, as is true of anyone here, I still see no benefit to getting a PS3, especially as there is only one game which is still not released yet, that I would be interested in getting that would not be out on the 360, which has a few titles that I'm interested in, and a few future titles that I am interested in, and the Wii already has a few games that I love, and has more games coming that I am really really looking forward to. And despite the PS3's motion sensing control, (which is apparently a joke in comparison to the Wii motion sensing) it could not hope to replicate the Wii controls, or even come close.

Star Lord

projectmayhem wrote:

until i got my 360, my PS2 was my primary DVD player, and when the PS3 hits that will replace my 360 as the primary movie-viewing device. it's all well and good to enjoy your PC for dvd's, but i like a good tub of ben&jerry's as i do irreparable damage to my spine as i slouch on my sofa in front of the HDTV.

also, right now blu-ray is out-selling HD-DVD by a decent factor (the PS3 effect), and having had a blu-ray disc play next to a hd-dvd disc, i can say from experience that if there's a difference, i didn't see it.

As I do not have a HDTV, and do not intend to get a HDTV for a long time in the forseeable future, I have not been able to do such comparisons myself, and only have online reviews to base that information on.

I was always of the opinion too that they are first and foremost, games machines, and as such, do not see any benifit in having the ability to play movie files or MP3s on a console, so when I chose which console to get, I base it on the games, the gameplay etc... I am perfectly happy playing my Wii on a standard TV, and watching my DVDs on my PC. But as we all know, everyone is different and everyone wants different things, hence why the competition between consoles and the varying specs and capabilities of the consoles appeal to different people. It would be a damn shame in my honest opinion if any of the 3 main console manufacturers now, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, did not continue to pursue their ideas. Competition drives the market, and I think the best comparison to them is with cars. Everyone likes particular cars and dislikes others. Some people don't like what one company offers, some can't get enough of it.

Viva lá difference...

Retr0gamer

As a reply to the comment about a Wii emulator on the PS3, this will not happen. There are linux GC emulators available but they are all crap, you would be lucky to get 5 FPS on a top range PC. Also the Linux on PS3 doesn't have access to the Graphics card and even if it did it doesn't have nearly enough power to emulate the GC or Wii architecture.

shatners basoon

Thats not including the differences in the motion sensor technology between the two where it would be very difficult to use the six axis controller for a game such as Trauma centre as example.
Even if the PS3 could emulate the wii games, that wouldnt make much of a difference to its sales (just look at the poor ol' dreamcast)

As for the comment made on the gameplay limitations of the wii and how the 360 and PS3 will be able to make use of new gameplay styles, could you please give a reference to back this up? AI is more a matter of spending time and care rather than relying on the power of the hardware.
Don't get me wrong, power makes a difference but its not like AI or any gameplay of the current generation is revolutionary. Maybe the size and scope of Oblivion or the numbers in Dead Rising (not that the crowds of NPCs have good AI or anything) could be considered new developments. However i dont think it compares with the control system of say wii sports- never before has there been a better home simulation of these sports imo, if they make a proper Virtua Tennis (please god!) they'd be the best sports games ever (hopefully!).

One thing for sure is that we've yet to see the full potential of any of these consoles. If you consider the PS2s recent output (Okami, God of War, Resi 4) for example and compare them with the games that were released at launch it shows we have no idea whats yet to come. Same goes for the 360 and the Wii too!

unreggd

shatners basoon wrote:

One thing for sure is that we've yet to see the full potential of any of these consoles. If you consider the PS2s recent output (Okami, God of War, Resi 4) for example and compare them with the games that were released at launch it shows we have no idea whats yet to come. Same goes for the 360 and the Wii too!

True, although I cant see anything surpassing Gears of War for a good while

Okami looks great!

I think the Wii is in a safe spot for now. Its one of the only consoles making a profit on console sales, unlike the XB360 or PS3 [im sure this will be a disaster]

As for playing media, a console is usually bought for one or 2 people max, and the majority would be in a bedroom, so it wouldnt really count as a family media centre.

I think Sony and MS spend so much time addin new features they forget its main purpose is to play games, just like phones, phones these days arent the best reception wise, and all the extra features zap the battery, so Nokia brought out the 1101, which is just a phone, and a great one

Guess we'll just hafta wait and see

BlitzKrieg

Even if the PS3 could emulate the wii games, that wouldnt make much of a difference to its sales (just look at the poor ol' dreamcast)

or even better the PSP...

Vyse

shatners basoon wrote:

One thing for sure is that we've yet to see the full potential of any of these consoles. If you consider the PS2s recent output (Okami, God of War, Resi 4) for example and compare them with the games that were released at launch it shows we have no idea whats yet to come. Same goes for the 360 and the Wii too!

Whereas I would say this for the 360 and PS3 I don't think we are going to see that much of an improvement in the Wii's graphical performance. In an interview with the current head honcho of sonic team (see http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=157162) he stated that "In five years time we will see a lot of improvement in graphical quality and being as the Wii is already technically limited, people will be able to tell the difference in the visuals." When asked if the system was hard to develop for "In terms of development for the hardware, it wasn't that different from previous consoles."

In saying that nobody is buying the Wii for its graphical power. Look at Metroid 3. People will go nuts for that and it looks practically identical to Metroid Prime.

Biro

projectmayhem wrote:

tbh, i welcome any added extra's they throw into a console, as long as they don't loose sight of its primary function - to play games. both microsoft and sony have done well so far, and they can only expand this idea. the PSP is a perfect example. it does an amazing array of things, and new things are added all the time, but it has never lost sight of the fact that its core purpose is to play games...

You made mainly fair points, but I tend to disagree on the PSP. I consider it an over priced kinda pointless console. My sister has a PS2, so I don't see the need for buying a PSP just so I can play all the PS2 games on the move, and have to buy them again for the privalage. Also, if I wanted a portable media player, I'd buy one. For similar money I'd have a better device. I think the DS is very clever. Again, inferior hardware to the PSP, but it doesn't matter as it's €100 cheaper, (or more if you don't go for the lite) and even though I've only played nintendogs on it, I thought it was brilliantly clever! Whisteling to call the dog over, petting him with the pen, thats new stuff. Maybe I'm too pro-Nintendo, but I do think they're thinking outside the box instead of just trying to make a bigger box.

Anyway, on the media thing, aside from whether it's important or not, aren't I right in saying that the Wii will have an update later in the year to play DVD's? And won't it also have some software available (3rd party) so that it'll play media from SD cards? Why are all the Sony and MS people bashing it for not doing media? If it does those 2 things, then it'll do anything a PSP can do and a whole lot more, for less money!

unreggd

Biro wrote:

Anyway, on the media thing, aside from whether it's important or not, aren't I right in saying that the Wii will have an update later in the year to play DVD's?

No, I dont think the current laser can read DVD disk, that wouldnt be possible thru any upgrade. Theres rumours of a new DVD version, like they did with the Gamecubem a panasonic version, but that was a flop, so they prob wont go there again. Theres a rep from Nintento who comes into my shop once a month, so ill ask him t check it out for sure.

Biro wrote:

Maybe I'm too pro-Nintendo, but I do think they're thinking outside the box instead of just trying to make a bigger box.

Exactly! Thats whats great about the Wii. Its the first new thing in a console in years. thinkin back to the SNES and Megadrive years, its always been button-bashin with a controll pad, then a few new things like light guns and the Eyetoy, but the Wii is somethin completely new, and it adds so much more reality and sense of bein in the game, something you wont get with the best AI out there.

Also, im kinda glad it doesnt have too many media features. Bundled media players in consoles are never great quality compared to standalones, and like I said before, most consoles are in a bedroom, so it'd be hard to share it as a family media centre

Biro

unreggd wrote:

No, I dont think the current laser can read DVD disk, that wouldnt be possible thru any upgrade. Theres rumours of a new DVD version, like they did with the Gamecubem a panasonic version, but that was a flop, so they prob wont go there again. Theres a rep from Nintento who comes into my shop once a month, so ill ask him t check it out for sure.

Oh, I was under the impression that it could read DVD disks and it was just an upgrade to the OS (kind of like a driver upgrade, but not quite!) in order for it to play them. I could be way off, I just heard that somewhere.
Either way, I don't care, I have my dolby digital surround sound system with div x capabilities.

Retr0gamer

The DVD read in the Wii is capable of reading and playing DVD's. What do you think the games come on?

If the Wii had DVD support Nintendo would have to pay additional licensing fee's that would drive up the price thats why it's left out.

thebman

TheBigEvil wrote:

Have to agree with Sony. The Wii has a novelty factor about it, but its games have to be graphically downgraded comapaired to their equivelants on the 360 and PS3. It wont play dvds and doesn't support High Def or Blue Ray.

So once everyone gets tired swinging their arms about, they'll see the limitations of the Wii. Afteall, its main game library will be Mario spin off after mario spin off, Zelda and Metroid Prime.

The Wii is just a stop gap, once the PS3 arrives, and its price point drops (which it will have to, at least by christmas), people will be buying it. And when Halo 3 arrives on the 360, the Wii will be a distant memory.

By the time the PS3 releases and price drops it'll probably be too late. A lack of software, a high price point are not attractive to consumers and a low installed base is not attractive to developers. Why would a developer choose the PS3 to develop for over the 360 or Wii. It is supposedly harder to program for than the other platforms and you'll get less sales out of it for all your work.

unreggd

Retr0gamer wrote:

The DVD read in the Wii is capable of reading and playing DVD's. What do you think the games come on?

If the Wii had DVD support Nintendo would have to pay additional licensing fee's that would drive up the price thats why it's left out.

they're not on DVDs, they're a different kind of Optical Disc

Banjo

shatners basoon wrote:

As for the comment made on the gameplay limitations of the wii and how the 360 and PS3 will be able to make use of new gameplay styles, could you please give a reference to back this up? AI is more a matter of spending time and care rather than relying on the power of the hardware.

Come on, you know you don't need me to quote sources for AI and physics eating CPU resources. Besides, the three games I listed in my previous post - all of which are several years old - should suffice. Given the resources now available on the PS3 and to a lesser extent the 360, the potential is there for games that just couldn't be done on older hardware assuming someone takes the time to do it. Then again they might just keep making bigger environments and waste all their clock cycles on pathfinding...

Don't get me wrong, power makes a difference but its not like AI or any gameplay of the current generation is revolutionary. Maybe the size and scope of Oblivion or the numbers in Dead Rising (not that the crowds of NPCs have good AI or anything) could be considered new developments. However i dont think it compares with the control system of say wii sports- never before has there been a better home simulation of these sports imo, if they make a proper Virtua Tennis (please god!) they'd be the best sports games ever (hopefully!).

That's the whole point. We're looking at the current generation of games, games that have a 5 year old CPU bottleneck that's just been blown wide open. Granted, the in-order execution processors in the 360 and Ps3 (well, definitely the PS3, not sure about the 360) mean that current AI algorithms in use on the PC won't translate well but give the developers time, they'll optimise for console hardware.

One thing for sure is that we've yet to see the full potential of any of these consoles. If you consider the PS2s recent output (Okami, God of War, Resi 4) for example and compare them with the games that were released at launch it shows we have no idea whats yet to come. Same goes for the 360 and the Wii too!

Well, with the Wii plenty of hints have been dropped indicating that it's a fast gamecube, so the kind of optimisation you're talking about has already been done. Which is what I'm talking about - the headroom that leads to an RE4 or God Of War isn't there in the same way as it is on the 360 and Ps3.

Personally it doesn't bother me, I have my PC for big games and my Wii for the controller. I'm hoping the new Tiger Woods has a decent bead on the Wiimote's sensitivity so you can take decent full strength swings.... but to many people talk about Gameplay as if it exists independantly of the hardware and it's simply not true. At least not *totally* true.

Edit - Incidently AFAIK the Wii discs are DVDs but they're encrypted, hence you can't read them on your PC (although there's a way around that but let's not get into that). Whoever was talking about licensing was probably right, which would mean they could in theory release software on the Wii Shop that would allow playback, incorporating the license fee into the points price, assuming they didn't require a system update to go with it.